- Oh my God, Lil, what are you doing with that thing? It looks scary… You write books, make food art and teach children!?

- Well, Peachy Pea, this is a hoe, an ancient gardening tool. I am also an organic gardener. Today I’ll be using it to cut weeds down in the vegetable raised beds. I like to grow my own plants for my family and my classes and workshops.

- Raised beds… this is my dream, to be sown by a true princess.

- I know. I’ve written your story...I also have a dream...

My dream is to make children all around the world enjoy vegetables, fruits and leafy greens. I will make my dream come true by writing lots of exquisite books for children, parenting books, kid friendly recipes, food art, organic gardening and workshops. I draw inspiration from my children workshops and my own organic garden. It’s so important to grow your own food. That’s the first step of the journey.

When I took up organic gardening in 2007, I did it only to providemy family with much needed vegetables. I purchased the best books on the subject, tools, accessories and seeds, and we got down to business. First year’s production was high, so we decided to increase the cultivation area each year. We quickly found out how healthy and relaxing it is to work outdoors and establish a deep connection with nature: digging, sowing, tending to and finally, enjoying the harvest. The birds in the nearby woods sing beautiful songs, and the pheasants actually take refuge in our bamboo field during winter. Swarms of butterflies and bees visit our flowers to drink their pollen, and we have made friends amongst the lizards and the turtles. Our children get to eat fresh strawberries and raspberries from the garden, and spend countless hours chatting amidst the grass. What more can you ask?

Liliana Stefura

Assistant Pharmacist

I’m fascinated by the way in which Lil L. Alexander manages to create this effective learning environment, without ever being tedious or boring. In a playful and ingenuous way, her books and workshops help us revive the knowledge and joy of eating healthy and simple.

My garden: food, fun and inspiration

My books start in my garden. I probably wouldn’t be writing children’s books if I didn’t have this experience. In my opinion, a healthy kid should look like this: shaggy hair, muddy feet, blackberry stained cheeks, bright eyes that follow the playful kite in the wind, or the flight of a garden-fairy, and hands that pluck the most delicious tomato right off the sprig. My characters are often inspired by gardening or wildlife (for instance, the Strawberator from The Pea and The Princess story is the literary expression of a fifteen inch slug that was crawling in my orchard). Many words I use have a peculiar sound. Readers will encounter characters with funny names, rhymes and wordplays inspired by raindrops, leaves rustling and carrot-gnawing. Click play to meet the characters from my new book: Yummy Stories.